Chapter 877: Great Achieved Saint Body Ghost…

Chapter 879: The Great Accomplishment Saint Body Ghost

In the ancient sea demon tomb, the old monk and Duan De sat facing each other, discussing the strange occurrences within the tomb with great clarity. The monk had exorcised many malevolent spirits, but none were as astonishing and earth-shattering as the one suppressed by Sakyamuni.

“He said it was formed from the transformation of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body after death, a veritable Ghost Saint, an extremely powerful malevolent thought that no one could subdue back then, utterly ferocious.”

Ultimately, Sakyamuni intervened, using Buddhist mystical arts to strip away ninety percent of its cultivation and sever its spiritual root. Only then was it subdued, forever suppressed beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, cast into the eighteen layers of hell.

“A malevolent thought of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body?…” Pang Bo was astonished, deep in thought. “Could it be a Divine Consciousness?”

“He said it was a fierce ghost that had achieved sainthood and become an ancestor, which I now realize is what they call a Divine Consciousness!” Duan De stated.

Legend has it that a Divine Consciousness is a malevolent thought born after the death of a deity. However, first the Immortal Heavenly Sovereign, then the Solar Saint Sovereign, and now the Great Accomplishment Saint Body—all exhibited this malevolent form after death, despite not being true deities, which was surprising.

“Who in this world has ever seen a true deity? In my opinion,” said the Black Emperor, “the most powerful beings of an era were merely deified and revered as gods.”

Ye Fan’s heart sank. The fact that the fierce ghost was a Divine Consciousness of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body made him very uneasy. Was there some karmic link to him? It seemed to have some connection, coming specifically for him.

“The old monk said that everything Sakyamuni suppressed could be considered a regional deity,” Duan De continued. “The reason some beings are difficult to destroy, even after death, is that a wisp of their ‘thought’ remains in the world, related to their past achievements.”

“What are you talking about?” asked the Monkey.

Who in the world can achieve immortality? This was a profound puzzle that even the Ancient Great Emperors struggled to comprehend, and no one had ever fully solved it. However, they had discovered numerous methods to prolong their lives and achieve extended immortality.

Achieving great accomplishments in the world, being revered to forge immortal legends, allowing one's Dao fruit to endure, and even living for two lifetimes—these were insights discovered by the Ancient Great Emperors.

When countless beings in the world collectively revered one individual and worshipped them daily, it seemed to forge a shared thought power that augmented the Great Emperors, helping them progress further towards immortality and eternity.

Such individuals were always difficult to destroy. The Divine Consciousness suppressed by Sakyamuni was someone of great accomplishment in life. After his death, people still remembered him, silently reciting his glorious virtues, which allowed a wisp of his divine consciousness to regenerate and become a Divine Consciousness.

“Is that how a Divine Consciousness is born?” The others gained new insight. It had to be said that the Quasi-Emperor’s knowledge was indeed extraordinary, possessing some of the demeanor and vision of the Ancient Great Emperors.

“Bodhi everywhere, faith coalescing, establishing immortal religions…” Li Tian recalled the prophecy of the two spirit children in Heavenly Village and exchanged glances with those present.

“These things are bestowed by others. The key still lies with oneself. Otherwise, why wouldn't the Ancient Great Emperors have regarded this path as the sole method for immortality? They must have discovered some impropriety in it,” Ye Fan said.

“Let's talk about the fierce ghost again. Daoist Duan, you're not telling us that the black ghost in the bronze coffin is the Divine Consciousness of a Great Accomplishment Saint Body, are you?” Pang Bo asked.

Duan De nodded. “I believe it is him. It came from beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple on the ancient planet of Yinghuo. What else could it be?”

Everyone gasped. The fierce ghost's origin was so immense; it was actually a Divine Consciousness. Such entities were the most terrifying, nearly god-like in life and immortal even after death, possessing power that transcended the laws of the world.

“This is definitely not an ordinary Great Accomplishment Saint Body; it must be one of the invincible nine generations of the past!” said the Black Emperor.

The reason the Great Accomplishment Saint Body of yesteryear awed the entire ancient planet, subtly dominating as the foremost body type, was primarily due to the nine exceedingly powerful individuals who appeared in the ancient desolate era. Each was invincible above and below the heavens, sweeping through all realms and suppressing everything.

As one vanished, another would emerge shortly after, continuing this glorious lineage. It was impossible not to be awed, and the world could not forget them.

It could be said that during that period, their battle achievements and radiance illuminated the entire world. All beings on that ancient planet worshipped them, and only such individuals could give birth to a Divine Consciousness.

“Yes, that must be it. The Immortal Heavenly Sovereign was revered by myriad races, so a wisp of his divine consciousness remained undying after death. The Solar Saint Sovereign held a similar status in the Ziwei ancient starfield, also jointly worshipped by all beings, and likewise gave birth to a Divine Consciousness.”

“Exactly. Among the nine invincible Great Accomplishment Saint Bodies, several left this ancient planet and went to the outer regions. Some never returned. That malevolent thought must have been born after one of them passed away.”

They made various deductions, generating many ideas, and felt they were nearing the truth of the matter.

“That day, I discussed at length with the old monk, touching upon various types of ghosts with profound cultivation,” Duan De recounted. “We reached a consensus: they fear their former selves, their glorious physical bodies of the past, yet at the same time, they greatly desire to possess them.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Ye Fan felt a chill run down his spine. The fierce ghost in the bronze coffin was primarily targeting him because they shared the same physique. It both feared his physical body, wishing to destroy it, and yet harbored a longing, a desire to obtain it—a contradictory psychological state.

Duan De said, “Actually, there's no need to worry. The old monk mentioned that the Divine Consciousness formed from the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had ninety percent of its cultivation stripped away by Sakyamuni, its spiritual root severed, and it has been suppressed for nearly two thousand years. It's extremely weakened now.”

Moreover, Saint Blood inherently counters such malevolent thoughts born after death. It cannot get close. Especially now, without its spiritual root, any cultivation it might recover would be very limited.

“If everything is as expected, the fierce ghost formed from the Great Accomplishment Saint Body is nothing to worry about. It cannot harm Ye Fan.”

“He took three people: Liu Yunzhi, Li Changqing, and Wang Yan. They are all pawns, and it's suspected they entered the Immortal Palace,” Pang Bo said gravely. These individuals knew Ye Fan intimately, had learned some terrifying techniques, and operating in the shadows, they were bound to be formidable enemies.

“How is it that I can't enter this cursed Immortal Palace? I, your humble Daoist, have wandered this place many times, but have never had the fortune to enter and see its antiquities.”

“Grave robbing?” Duan De never engaged in such activities. In his words, he was performing archaeology, exploring ancient secrets, and uncovering prehistoric mysteries. He was selfless and dedicated, willing to devote his entire life to it.

Finally, they left the mountain range, vanishing into the vast desolate hills. Knowing who the enemy was finally gave them a sense of certainty, allowing them to make targeted preparations.

Half a month later, major auction houses like the Heavenly Demon Treasure Pavilion, Ji Family Divine Tower, Jiang Family Treasure Pavilion, and Jade Lake Immortal Retreat, along with numerous commercial societies across the land, all began acquiring five-colored precious stones.

As soon as this news broke, it caused an uproar across the five domains, sparking a considerable stir. No one knew what was happening or why all the major financial powers were acting in unison.

Finally, well-informed individuals unearthed the ultimate secret: someone intended to build a five-colored altar to travel beyond this realm and enter the boundless, magnificent starry sky.

“Who is it? Are they truly mad, or do the major Holy Lands intend to do this? Is a grand new era arriving, prompting everyone to expand beyond this realm?!”

People were shocked, and the heavens immediately erupted in a clamor, causing a massive uproar.

Five-colored precious stones were not jade but crystals formed by an ancient spiritual wood, whose species had long since gone extinct on this ancient planet. Only occasionally could some crystals be unearthed from underground, making them extremely rare.

The concerted efforts of the major commercial houses in frantically searching naturally caused the price of these precious stones to skyrocket. All miners abandoned their original professions and joined the stone quarrying industry.

Everyone had a premonition that a storm was brewing. With such large-scale collection of five-colored stones, it was highly likely that someone would genuinely succeed in entering outer space in the future.

During this period, in various black markets and auction houses, people were also collecting all ancient teleportation arrays. Anything related to traversing starfields, even a mere corner of an array pattern, was worth a sky-high price.

Furthermore, some formation pattern masters and ancient inheritances received exotic treasures as invitations to leave their retreats and go to mysterious places. They were to collectively research the five-colored altar, which would open the path to outer space, requiring the combined efforts of many masters.

Subsequently, even various ancient clans were affected. Someone offered high prices and irresistible exotic treasures to acquire a certain divine stone that they could find.

Many knew that not only could the five-colored altar traverse starfields, but the Ancient Emperor Divine Platform could too. That was how Ye Fan had returned from the Ziwei ancient starfield back then.

Clearly, the hidden parties were frantic, wanting to pursue both avenues. They were eager to go to outer space, and thus began to widely collect both types of precious materials, awaiting their opportunity.

Even some ancient clan masters proficient in formation patterns were invited out, their interest piqued by exotic treasures, to gather and conduct research. This demonstrated the urgency of those involved.

“Who exactly is doing all this?” Everyone wanted to know. Vaguely, people felt it was likely the work of the same major power.

Finally, the Human World and Hell (assassin organizations) took action. They raided two financial syndicates, plundering the various precious stones they had acquired, and confirmed that they were indeed being bought by the same force, which had offered enormous sums.

On the same day, someone issued a bounty order in retaliation: anyone who could kill a disciple from either of the two assassin dynasties would receive a sky-high reward of Origin Stones. This made the turmoil intensify.

This only increased people's astonishment. Who was spending so lavishly? Which major power was being so extravagant? Was it truly because there were immortal treasures in outer space?

In the following half-month, members of the assassin dynasties continuously fell, and all those sent out on missions ended in failure. Someone was targeting them, seemingly harboring great hatred.

“It's the Human Race Saint Body collecting the five-colored precious stones!”

Finally, on this day, the Human World revealed a shocking piece of information. They had raided another financial syndicate and, by following the clues, had finally uncovered a lead.

The news caused an uproar across the land. What was Ye Fan trying to do? Daring to spend so much Origin, scrounging for five-colored precious stones everywhere—did he truly intend to build an altar and leave this world?

Many knew that he had traveled to outer space and successfully returned, so they were full of curiosity about him, wanting nothing more than to understand the truth.

“Why do I feel like he's fleeing, desperately wanting to leave? What exactly is going on?”

On that very day, Ye Fan and those close to him dispelled the rumors, stating that they were not acquiring the five-colored precious stones and did not know who was. They urged people not to make baseless assumptions.

Less than two days later, an ancient clan formation master revealed a secret: someone had persuaded him with a small piece of Great Luo Silver Essence to emerge from his retreat and enter a mysterious place to repair a corner of a formation pattern.

“And they still say it's not Ye Fan, the Human Race Saint Body? Only he could produce such priceless divine material.”

According to the master, he was taken to a very mysterious place where a five-colored altar was almost complete. Each master was only responsible for a small section, and their task was considered fulfilled if they could repair it.

All parties were shaken, and the world was astonished. Did the Human Race Saint Body truly have such grand resources? Had he really restored a five-colored altar, and was he truly about to open the path to outer space?

“I reiterate, someone else is surely behind this matter. It has absolutely nothing to do with me!” Ye Fan stepped forward to refute the rumors once more, then ceased to appear in public.

“Which madman is doing all this, and for what purpose?” People were baffled, feeling as if a storm was brewing, certain that something significant was about to happen!